Key Largo (which means Long Key, named by the Spaniards) is the closest of the islands to the Florida mainland. Drive south from Miami for about an hour and you will come to the drawbridge at Jewfish Creek. When you cross this bridge you will find yourself in Key Largo, the first island of the Florida Keys.
Key Largo is the home to the world’s largest artificial reef, the 510 foot USS Spiegel Grove; the John Pennekamp Coral Reef Underwater State Park and the famous Christ of the Abyss underwater statue. Key Largo is best known for its shallow reefs and deep wrecks. The shallow reefs provide world class diving for scuba divers of all ages and skills. The deep wrecks offer the some of the best wreck diving found anywhere. The magnificent natural coral reefs a few miles offshore are world renowned for their beauty. Underwater treasures await divers and snorkelers who enjoy the colorful, tranquil sealife in these clear, tepid, azure waters. Visitors to Key Largo quickly understand why it is billed as the “Dive Capital of the World”.
Additionally, Key Largo’s proximity to the Everglades makes it a premier destination for kayakers, birders and other eco-tourists. The island is also famous as a sport-fishing destination. Some of the best charter captains and fishing guides in the world work out of Key Largo. You can go after sailfish offshore, bonefish along the Atlantic shallows, or redfish and tarpon in Florida Bay.